


Yuna

by jenskaya20



Category: Ghost of Tsushima (Video Game)
Genre: Acceptance, Bitterness, Death, Depression, Fear, Gen, Grief, Terror
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 12:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,921
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29949882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jenskaya20/pseuds/jenskaya20
Summary: Yuna can't move on after Taka's death. She's been in a depressive cycle for a full year after the Mongols are gone. But fate has a way of bringing back the unresolved past, and finishing it once and for all.Yuna's reckoning has come.
Relationships: Friendship - Relationship, Samurai and Commoners
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	Yuna

_One year after the Mongol Invasion_

A cold wind blew across the tall grass. Banners overhead fluttered in the breeze. It was a good day for doing laundry.

Yuna went out with her load to the river just outside Komoda Town. Other villagers had the same idea. Women talked and laughed amongst each other, but she kept to herself. The water was quite cold, but the sun was strong. She was already getting quite a tan even though it was only Spring.

One of her favorite yukata was soiled with mud. She had fallen down while hunting some boar the day before. Yuna dipped the purple garment into the water and watched as the mud melted away.

To reveal ancient blood stains she was never able to get out.

Yuna quickly put the garment in a basket and washed her socks and other garments. She looked up to see if anyone was watching her, and fortunately no one was. When new peasants came to inhabit the town, she never really bothered to get to know any of them.

Yuna went back to her house and assessed her current inventory: enough rice for 3 days, also some leeks and lettuce heads, kept cool in a covered basket. She sighed despondently to herself and then went out again to put her laundry out on the line in the backyard.

“Yuna, are you busy?”

Yuna looked around to see a neighbor, Saori. She also was a survivor of the initial invasion and had come back to reclaim her home after the war. It wasn’t anyone Yuna particularly cared for, but anyone who survived such an ordeal was at least deserving of respect.

“Not particularly. Do you need something?”

“Yes. I need help with picking greens from my garden. You may have some when we are done.”

“Thank you, Saori,” Yuna bowed to her neighbor and followed behind her.

“How are you doing these days? I didn’t see you at the town meeting yesterday,” Saori asked her as they started picking from the ground and putting the greens into baskets.

“I was out hunting. I didn’t catch anything though.”

“I heard the boar have become scarce in this region of late. Perhaps the winter had gotten to them?”

“Or the Mongols before. I don’t think they have recovered since,” Yuna frowned.

“You’re right. What are you doing right now to take care of yourself?”

“If I can’t provide anything for the trapper… I’m not really sure. I know a bit of basketry and weaving, but…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know… I don’t feel right doing it, somehow.”

Saori looked at her with concern. “You used to live a very different life before the war, didn’t you?”

“What do you remember about me?” Yuna asked cautiously.

“Your brother Taka was an important part of our community, fashioning all sorts of tools for the farmers. I presume you took care of the house.”

“Yes… something like that,” Yuna smiled sadly. “Things will never be the same without him.”

“I know… I will miss him too.”

They continued picking the plants until they had gathered enough to fill four large baskets. The wind cooled her brow as she worked.

“Keep one of these baskets. Perhaps we can share a meal together sometime?” Saori offered.

“Thanks, but… no, you’re right, I need to get out more. I’ve been sulking too much. As long as you keep that secret.”

“Right… as you wish…”

Komoda Town was finally starting to feel lively again, after some new peasants moved into the unoccupied homes. Renovations were still necessary on some houses, but Yuna’s home fortunately escaped the worst. It was also better that nobody knew her these days. It allowed her to keep under the radar from any people who might come looking for her. However, Lady Masako assured her that she was safe as long as she stayed put in this region, the one she had the most influence over.

Yuna shared a meal with Saori that night, but had little to say. She just wanted to lie down and go to sleep earlier. Nothing felt like it was working out for her these days. It would be better just to curl up and push all the thoughts away with a long sleep. To get by day to day with integrity, and resist the urge to go back to how she used to be.

Her cycle for the past year, and no end in sight.

The next day, Yuna heard a knock on her door. It was Gentaro, one of the elders of the town.

“I heard that you were in need of some work. The bridge needs some new planks in the main frame. There are several already at work, but we need it to be fixed quickly, so that people can pass by as soon as possible.”

“Thank you, I will head over there right away with my tools,” Yuna bowed to him. It was the old bridge on the northeast side of town, the one that led many warriors to Komoda Beach to the west. Some Mongols attempted to burn the bridge at the end of the invasion but they were fortunately stopped by the Shogun's reinforcements.

Currently several floor planks were completely removed from the bridge, making it impassable. Yuna arrived to see them currently lifting out the old pieces and carrying them away.

“Greetings! My name is Nobuo, I recently moved into this town,” a young peasant man bowed to her. “We currently are working on the inner structure of the bridge. Do you have a hammer?”

“I do. Do you have enough nails and wood pegs? I can carve out some with my knife.”

“Thank you. Let’s get to work.”

It was late morning when she joined the work. Yuna never helped construct a bridge before, so she listened to the instructions and obeyed accordingly. On this day she wore a light-blue garment which suited outdoor work like this. The weather was just the same as before, chilly with a warm sun. It felt good to do something meaningful with her hands again.

After an hour of work, the handful of peasants with the leadership of Gentaro were able to replace several structural pieces below. The gorge wasn’t too deep underneath, but Yuna never had any fear of heights. This bridge was fairly long, but not long enough to have a middle pillar.

It was time for a break at mid-day. Yuna sat down with the commoners under a tree while they shared some sake with each other, passing a gourd around. The bridge was currently inoperable, but there were no people with horses passing by today. People could walk across the bamboo rafting temporarily put in place.

“So you’re Yuna! I heard you are a local to Komoda Town,” one of the peasants spoke up to her.

“Something like that. I lived here before the war.”

“So you really are a native. What was it like, if I may ask? That first night of the invasion.”

“It was awful. I’m glad I got out of there. My brother was taken captive while I was…” she stopped mid-thought.

“While you were what?”

“Never mind. It feels so long ago, parts are blurred for me,” Yuna said quickly. The peasant passed the sake gourd and she took a swill. It wasn’t bad sake, and proved refreshing on this sunny day.

“I was in Tsutsu when the boats started landing. It was pretty rough,” the peasant replied. “I was taken captive too, but then a lone samurai saved me! I’m not sure who he was, but he was very kind. I hope he survived the invasion.”

“I’m glad to hear you were saved,” Yuna’s voice perked up at the thought. “Few samurai survived Komoda Beach. I can hardly imagine what it took for the survivors to rebuild their forces and retaliate. Must have taken weeks.”

“It sure did! The Ghost is mainly responsible of course. He made that whole peasant army all by himself, much to the shame of the samurai who barely made a difference!”

“I wouldn’t say they _didn’t_ make a difference,” Yuna corrected. “But you’re right, we couldn’t have done it without the Ghost… or his allies. What’s your name?”

“Osamu. I am pleased to be acquainted with you.”

Just then, a distant horn was blown from the east. Everyone sat up straight.

“Samurai!” Gentaro stood up quickly. “They are coming on a patrol!”

Yuna went pale but said nothing. There hadn’t been a patrol in this region in months, and now she was out in the open working on a bridge they probably planned on crossing. Gentaro left them immediately to go back in town while Yuna and the others quickly prepared to fill in the gaps in the bridge in case it was necessary.

Peasants got out of their homes to see the escort approach from the opposite side of the river. Yuna wished she could hide, but there was no way to do that without arousing suspicion from her comrades.

“Let’s just get to work and fix this bridge as soon as we can! Perhaps they’ll go by another route,” Osamu suggested. He and Yuna picked up a plank together and carried it to the center of the bridge. She had a good view of the road from this spot and took a look. She audibly gasped.

“The jito! He is here!”

“Lord Shimura? What is he doing here?” Osamu stood up and looked into the woods. The sashimono and red and gold armor were clear enough to see from far away.

“I have no idea, but we must appear respectable to him,” Yuna took several breaths in to calm herself down, and tried to hide it as best she could. Osamu looked at her with concern, though he too felt nervous.

Within a few minutes, the escort of ten samurai with their lord had arrived at the bridge, and Gentaro had returned with some assistants.

“My lords! Welcome to Komoda Town!” he called over to the other side. “We apologize that the bridge is out! It will be fixed as soon as possible!”

“We come in peace!” one of the jito’s attendants spoke up on his behalf. “We do have need of this bridge, but we will retire for the time being. We have been riding all day.”

“Very well!” Gentaro bowed and quickly signaled his assistants to go across and offer both food and drink. He crossed the bridge himself and made his greetings to the lords.

“If I stay here, at a distance, it might all be fine,” Yuna said to herself. Her heart was racing the entire time, and her hands shook as she hammered the wooden pegs.

After about 20 minutes, Gentaro arrived alone to speak with the group.

“Lord Shimura is grateful for your work, and will reward each of you for your efforts on this bridge. He is making a tour of the region, and plans to inspect our town for any restoration needs. He is going west today to honor the graves of those at Komoda Beach, and was hoping some of our town would join as well.”

“I volunteer to come,” Osamu nodded rapidly. “It is my hope I can properly honor him for his great effort against the Mongols, and the saving of our home.”

“Very good. I will be going too. What about you, Yuna?”

“… I don’t know,” Yuna looked over his shoulder to see where the samurai were. They were letting their horses drink from the river.

“I don’t think he is pressuring the entire village to come out with him, so if you need to you can stay. Still, he will be requiring your presence as soon as this bridge is in order.”

Yuna gritted her teeth and said nothing. The commoners continued their work and were finished within the hour. She felt sick to her stomach.

“I can’t meet him… I can’t do this…” she kept saying to herself. “He will surely recognize me. I can’t use a fake name, that would never go down with the rest of them. By the kami… am I going to die this day?”

“You seem pale, are you alright?” Osamu said to her gently. “I’m quite nervous, but… you seem ill.”

“I am… I don’t think I can meet him,” she whispered to him. “We put this last plank in place, and when it’s over, I… no, I can’t get out of this can I?”

“I doubt it. What, are you afraid of him? What for?”

“I… I can’t say. I just have… a history is all.”

“Oh… _oh_ ,” Osamu’s eyes lit up. “I think I see now…”

Gentaro had gone back to Lord Shimura and his men to announce the bridge being completed, and they were now coming forward on horseback. The handful of workers all stood at attention on the town side, and the whole village was there as well, nearly 50 people. As soon as the samurai crossed over, all of them bowed as a group. Yuna kept her face down the entire time, and did not look up.

“Villagers of Komoda Town!” Lord Shimura rose his voice to the crowd. “I am honored to meet you this day, and I wish you peace. I have come to visit the villages of Komoda and aid in what is left to be restored. Today I plan to visit Komoda Beach and honor the sacrifices of those who served us that night. But first…”

“… Is there something wrong, my lord?” Gentaro spoke up when there had been a long pause. Yuna gritted her teeth and refused to look up.

“… Today I would like to express my gratitude on the improvements made to this bridge. It has been an important structure in the Komoda region for many generations…”

The jito’s voice was slow but also tense. Yuna slowly lifted her head but did not look him in the face. Instead she looked to Osamu who stared at her in fright, and even took a step backwards. It seems the jito had been eying him too.

“If I run, I will surely be struck down,” Yuna thought to herself. Her whole body shook with adrenaline.

“For this reason,” the jito continued, “I am giving each of you who worked on the bridge a reward, a month’s share of rice, which you shall have guarantee of through a receipt. Each of you will obtain that receipt now, prescribed by my attendant…”

Yuna quickly looked up. Lord Shimura was gesturing an attendant to come forward and give each of them a small scroll with a seal of authenticity. They had been written up while they were waiting on the other side of the bridge. In a split second he turned his head back to her, as if sensing her eyes. Yuna’s heart jumped and her knees nearly gave way. She couldn’t unlock her eyes away from him now.

One by one each commoner approached the attendant and bowed in gratitude. Yuna froze where she was, and waited til she was last. She stared at the last scroll in the attendant’s hands. Seeing that all eyes were on her, she took a single step forward.

“Wait,” the jito said darkly. Yuna dropped her head and looked at the ground. The peasants all backed up as Lord Shimura stepped down from his horse, and to their amazement approached her on foot.

Yuna couldn’t stare at the ground any longer. Only a few steps away, he came to a standstill, and gave her a long, indiscernible look. Yuna felt like she was going to faint, but took as many breaths in as possible. Instinctively, she thought about where her knife was, on the back of her belt, and even that thought horrified her. She could never live with herself if she rose a hand against him, as deserving as it was. Because she deserved the same thing.

Yuna couldn’t handle the tension anymore, and collapsed on her knees. She wanted to sob, but gritted her teeth tightly so as not to scream.

“My lord,” her voice shivered, and she knelt her head to the ground. Everyone murmured in surprise, shocked at this public display. Something was happening that none were able to understand.

“Stand up,” the jito quickly said. Yuna struggled back to her feet.

“You’re coming with me. Men, keep an eye on her.”

The peasants gasped. Lord Shimura turned his back to her while two samurai got down from their horses so they could be as close as possible to her. He walked slowly through the village, with the samurai and Yuna behind him at a distance.

“If there is anything that we would especially need in this village, my lord, it would be seed and linen,” Gentaro walked a few paces behind him. “The ground is still fertile, but we lack the means to use it.”

“Very well. I will provide what I can. I will also forgo the taxes here for one more season.”

“Thank you, my lord!” Gentaro sighed in relief. “That would be most appreciated.”

They exchanged more dialogue as they passed through, finally getting to the edge of the village. Ten villagers agreed to come with them on foot to the graves. No one was allowed to approach Yuna, and Osamu only watched with anxiety. She hadn’t said a single word the whole day. Even Gentaro wouldn’t venture to ask why he had taken her.

“It is time for us to depart. Thank you for your hospitality, Gentaro,” Lord Shimura got onto his horse, and then looked at Yuna who was still standing in the back. “I will require your presence.”

Yuna walked along with the two samurai on horseback on each side of her, but they did not restrain her. The peasants kept up from behind and made no comment. One of them was Saori, who had a better idea of why this was all happening, and walked beside Osamu.

The sun was over the ocean as they arrived on Komoda Beach. Lord Shimura spent a good hour on foot, taking time to respect every grave that was built there. He was terribly grieved, but said very little. The samurai all followed suit, and Yuna and the peasants did too.

Finally they came to a place Yuna recognized all too well. Lord Shimura turned his attention to her and beckoned her to approach him in silence.

“Show me where you found him,” he asked, barely audible so that only Yuna could hear. She slowly walked ahead until she got to a spot on the beach, no longer covered with bodies, but there were broken arrows and debris half-buried in sand.

“Here, my lord,” she knelt on the ground. There were no visible signs, but it was ingrained in her memory still. The young samurai, groaning in pain, still breathing, arrows sticking out of his back. She choked up.

It was sunset now, and the peasants were bid to leave. Osamu left to watch from a distance, hidden in the treeline above, and was followed by Saori. Yuna was made to stay with the samurai.

“Check her for weapons,” Lord Shimura said quietly. They found the knife on her and took it away, but there was nothing more. He signaled the samurai to watch from a distance.

“Come,” he gestured to walk a pace ahead of him. She walked slowly while he watched her from behind. They walked for a minute until they came to a secluded spot on the shore. The sea glistened with orange and yellow light.

Yuna knew her end had come.

“I owed you something once, didn’t I… _Yuna_ ,” he said softly. Yuna said nothing.

“Look at me,” he said tersely. Yuna met eyes with him, and found him to be less hostile than before.

“ _Why did you do it?_ ” he whispered.

A chill went down Yuna’s spine, and her voice shook. “I… I couldn’t leave him to die… and as for everything else, it was for the same reason."

“And in so doing, you gave us a chance… Should I be grateful?” an edge was in his voice as he looked down on her.

“That is your choice... my lord,” Yuna bowed her head.

A long pause went between them again. If running away had been on her mind the whole time, suddenly it vanished. A calm settled over her spirit. The waves peacefully washed against the shore.

“On your knees,” he said quietly. She did as she was told, and knelt facing the sunset. He stood on her left. It was a beautiful evening.

“I will never forgive you,” he whispered. He slowly put a hand to his blade and gripped it tightly.

“I know. Do what you must.”

Yuna closed her eyes to feel the sun’s fading warmth on her face. The whole world enveloped her in radiance. She awaited the death blow with a peaceful heart.

She was ready to find Taka.

But the death blow did not come.

The jito lowered his hand in silence.

“I cannot do it,” his voice was broken. Yuna opened her eyes and looked at him. She had never seen a man so distraught and yet so composed.

“I never want to see you again.”

“Yes, my lord…” Yuna got up slowly.

“Get out of my sight,” he whispered. Yuna bowed and quickly walked up the shore into the treeline, to return to Komoda Town. Lord Shimura stayed on the shore to meditate until the sun went down.

“Yuna!” Osamu called to her when she entered the forest. He and Saori had watched the entire thing.

“Osamu! Saori! What are you doing here?” Yuna gasped in shock and embarrassment.

“I wanted to know what was going to happen! Why did he do that? Why did he try to kill you?”

“I will never answer that question.”

"Oh..."

“I’m glad you are safe, Yuna,” Saori’s only remark was with gentleness.

“Thank you.”

“But I must know,” Osamu spoke up again. “Then why did he spare you?”

“… Because I saved him and his nephew in the war.”

Osamu gasped but made no reply. The three of them walked back to the town. It was dark by the time they arrived and the lanterns were lit everywhere.

“So what happens now?” he wondered. “We get rice, and a chance to see our town prosper?"

“Yes… for you. He gave me only my life.”

“Nothing else?”

“No. Perhaps my life is enough.”

“I see…”

“Please… tell nobody about what happened,” she addressed both her friends.

“I won’t. I promise,” Osamu bowed.

“The truth will be safe with me,” Saori bowed. “Have a good night.”

They departed each to their own home, and after all that emotion, Yuna could hardly fall asleep even though she was exhausted.

She couldn't decide if she was grateful or not.

The next morning, it felt unusually peaceful in the town when she woke up. She casually prepared her morning meal and tea without a second thought. It was to be another day, another cycle of despair and grief…

She opened her door to go bring in the forgotten laundry when she found something left at her front doorstep. It was a box containing her knife, three gold pieces, and a small note:

_Travel safely._

Yuna stared at it in astonishment for several moments.

She gathered her belongings and left Tsushima that day.

_Bridge left in ashes_   
_A thorn is pulled from the wound_   
_Bitter acceptance_

**Author's Note:**

> "If anyone can change a samurai's mind, it's you" Jin once said to Yuna. She passes the test of true bravery, to be willing to look death in the face one last time. I don't think any rest was possible after what happened, but I believe she deserves a chance to start over. This little story would be a nice segue to a new series just about Yuna, without Jin.


End file.
